


Not As Bad As Expected

by afteriwake



Series: Discoveries [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Doctor Who References, Domestic Fluff, Established Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, F/M, Fluff, POV Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper Fluff, Television Watching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-05
Updated: 2015-11-05
Packaged: 2018-04-30 02:25:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5146841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Molly convinces Sherlock to give Doctor Who an honest to goodness chance once she moves into Baker Street after their engagement, and he isn't sure he's going to like it but for Molly, he's willing to do just about anything. But as the viewing marathons go on Sherlock finds himself slowly becoming a very big Whovian in his own right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not As Bad As Expected

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chitarra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chitarra/gifts).



> And this is the second prompt that **Chitarra** sent me for her requested prompt series (" _Molly convinces Sherlock to take a break between cases and watch Doctor Who with her. Sherlock grudgingly agrees, thinking he's gonna hate it, but ends up grudgingly admitting he really likes it._ ") Originally it was supposed to be Star Trek but as I wrote a story about Molly watching Star Trek with him already we settled on Doctor Who instead. Please note that the reason that there are no Ten & Rose episodes listed is I haven't personally watched any yet (the episodes listed in the fic are all episodes I have actually watched and I am currently working my way through the series from the beginning, having only caught a few scattered eps from the first four series so far), and while I have watched a few Twelve episodes I haven't watched an entire series of his yet so I didn't want to include him. I felt the 50th anniversary was a good place to leave off. BTW, dear, I totally did work in that line we talked about. ^_-

He was not someone who liked to fill his mind up with fictional twaddle. He would, on occasion, go see movies and watch the telly with Molly because it made her happy, but the majority of the time he would pay no real attention to it. It would be seen and promptly be forgotten. As the saying went, in one ear and out the other. He’d watch it and then promptly delete all traces of the material from his mind palace.

But shortly after their engagement, after Molly had gone through her belongings and he’d gone through his and they’d melded them together and moved it all into Baker Street, she’d asked him to give her one day to watch something with her, to _really_ watch it. Give it a chance. He knew what Doctor Who was; he wasn’t complete ignorant to its popularity. He’d just chosen to ignore it. But she seemed quite hopeful that he at least try it, just once, and there was very little he’d deny her. He did love her, would give her anything she wanted, so thirteen hours wasn’t much. And so they settled in together on the sofa and started from the beginning.

**“Rose”**

“Are you sure it gets better?” he asked, looking at Molly with a raised eyebrow.

She nodded. “Don’t judge the whole series on the first episode, please. I swear, it really does get better. Christopher Eccleston is a brilliant doctor, and David Tennant is great too. My favorite is Matt Smith, though. And I do rather love Peter Capaldi.” She leaned against him. “This series they’re trying to find the right balance. But there’s some great moments, I promise.”

He put an arm around her shoulders. “I hope you’re right,” he said.

“I am, you’ll see. It’s not all department store dummies. There’s good, solid moments in it, I promise.”

“If you’re wrong, what do I get?” he asked.

She considered it. “You can have me spend a day watching all the pirate documentaries you can get your hands on.”

“Deal,” he said.

“Did I mention there’s a pirate episode?” she said with a smile.

He perked up. “No, you didn’t.”

“It’s a ways down the line, but it’s a good one. If you stick through to Eleven, I think you’ll enjoy it.”

He nodded. That was only two Doctors down the line. He could do it. Maybe.

He hoped.

**“Bad Wolf”/ “The Parting of the Ways”**

He had to admit, the two part finale hadn’t been that bad. He had indeed liked this Doctor by the end of his run. Not enough he’d search out more of Eccleston’s performances, but enough that he appreciated him. He was decent enough, he supposed. He had seen Molly get rather emotional during the finale. “You were quite touched by this, weren’t you?” he said.

“Oh, Nine’s regeneration gets me every time,” she said, getting up to take the DVD out. She looked over at him. “So you did it. You watched all of series 1 with me. Do you want to watch series 2?”

He considered it. “I suppose we could,” he said. “Is Ten better than Nine?”

“I don’t know if ‘better’ is the best term,” she said. “More well loved, in a lot of ways, but I adore Eccleston’s Doctor,” she said. “We could start tonight, if you want. I don’t have to go in to work tomorrow.”

“I suppose we could,” he said with a nod. For now, Eccleston was his gold standard, as he was the only one he had experience with. All other Doctors would be measured against him.

He hoped they measured up.

**“The Runaway Bride”**

He almost regretted agreeing to watch series 2. It wasn’t a _bad_ series; David Tennant was an interesting and charismatic Doctor, and the chemistry he had with Billie Piper was quite nice, but the romantic storyline grated on his nerves. He’d much preferred the less overt and more subtle way it had been presented in the first season. Still, there had been enjoyable moments. He had wondered what Molly’s thoughts were to the storyline, but she had fallen asleep and he hadn’t had the heart to wake her.

It was the next weekend when they got around to watching series 3. Molly seemed quite eager for it, and he wondered why. “Rose is gone,” he said.

“Yes, but Martha’s here,” she said. “And you get to meet Donna briefly.”

“New companions?” he asked.

“Donna first, for one episode, then Martha for a series. I love them both,” she said, nodding. She popped in the DVD and then settled in next to him. Once Donna was introduced he could see why Molly liked her. She was…interesting. Reminded him of a sassier, bossier version of Mary, in a way. If she was to be a future companion, then he was very intrigued.

**“Smith & Jones”**

He could see why Molly liked Martha so much. There was a lot for her to relate to. They were both women in the medical field, albeit different specialties. They were both women who yearned for something more. And they were both incredibly smart and bright and caring and kind. He could see why Molly related to her so well.

She seemed a bit overeager in her introductory episode, but he liked her well enough. It would remain to be seen if she stayed that way, if the experiences of traveling with the Doctor wore her optimism down. But he liked her. He probably would like her more than Rose, to be honest, if he was the Doctor. But he got the feeling the Doctor himself wasn’t going to feel that way. No, the Doctor was going to be too hung up on his precious Rose to realize the valuable companion at his side, just like he’d been blind to Molly for so long.

He and the Doctor had a few things in common, apparently. At least one of them learned from the experience. He had to wonder if the Doctor was going to as well.

Only time would tell.

**“Blink”**

This, so far, was his favorite episode he’d seen. It was absolutely brilliant. He was on the edge of his seat the whole way through, and there’d barely even been any Doctor or Martha in it. He’d glance at Molly from time to time and see she’d be giving him a knowing smile. Finally he couldn’t stand it. “What?” he asked.

“There’s a reason this is often cited as the most popular episode of the show ever,” she said.

“It’s quite good,” he said. “I’d even go so far as to say brilliant.”

“Well, if you like it, the person who wrote it took over the show in series 5, when the Eleventh Doctor came on. Steven Moffat is his name. He’s done a bang up job on some of those episodes as well.”

Sherlock nodded. “If they’re as good as this I hope I enjoy them just as much.”

“Well, you say that _now_ , but people always complain about him. It seems to be a national pastime to shake your fist at the screen and yell ‘Moffat!’ each week, even when it isn’t his episode,” she said, her tone amused.

“National pastimes are overrated,” he said with a shrug.

**“The Unicorn and the Wasp”**

It was a different day when they finally made it to Donna’s season. He found he quite enjoyed the dynamic between her and the Doctor: no romance, no unrequited crushes. Just a nice, healthy friendship with a healthy dose of snark. It was perfect. He liked it quite a bit. It was very refreshing.

He had never really mentioned it, but he was a fan of Agatha Christie. When he’d moved away from his obsession with pirates as a young boy he’d moved on to Hercules Poirot and Miss Marple, so this episode was, in a way, a treat for him. The other historical figures in past episodes had been interesting, but seeing Agatha Christie onscreen was a delight.

Molly laid a hand on his arm during the Harvey Wallbanger scene when a chuckle escaped his lips. “You’re really enjoying this one, aren’t you?” she asked, smiling.

He nodded. “I’m a fan of Agatha Christie,” he said.

She tilted her head. “You don’t have any of her books,” she said.

“No one’s thought to get them for me,” he said, shrugging slightly.

“Well, now I think I know my wedding gift,” she said, her smile widening, and he grinned back.

**“The Eleventh Hour”**

He had almost stopped watching in protest as to how Donna’s season had ended. It had been completely and utterly unfair. Molly had convinced him to continue on, though, and he’d grit his teeth and watched the Tenth Doctor regenerate into Eleven, and then watched Eleven’s interactions with both the younger and older Amelia Pond.

He…wasn’t quite sure how he felt about the Eleventh Doctor. On the one hand, the youthful exuberance was a tad off-putting, and he found the rather comic overtones to be a bit much, but on the other hand, there was a deep well of loneliness there that was palpable, and the actor sold it well. And this was Molly’s favorite Doctor, the one he could tell she wanted him to give the most sincere chance to. 

He sat quietly at the end of the episode. “Well?” Molly asked.

“I’m not sure,” he said finally. “He’s…different.”

“I think you’ll like him,” she said. “Just give him time.”

He nodded. “I will, because he’s your favorite,” he said. “You have good taste, for the most part.”

“Of course I do,” she said with a smile. “I’m marrying you, after all.” Even he had to grin at that.

**“Vincent and the Doctor”**

Very few things caused him to feel strong emotions. And of those few things, virtually none were fictional entertainments. But this episode…he felt tears come to his eyes as he watched. And he was not alone at that; he could hear Molly sniffle slightly beside him. He had been sold earlier in the season that Matt Smith was a more than competent Doctor, around “Amy’s Choice,” but this episode would have thoroughly convinced him that Smith was, indeed, a superb actor.

Molly snuggled closer to him and he pressed a kiss on top of her head. “I think that is a good quote to live by,” he said. “The one at the end.”

She nodded. “It is an excellent quote.” She shifted slightly so she could wrap her arms around him. “This episode always makes me sad when I watch it. I mean, it’s beautiful, but it’s sad.”

“I think sometimes the most beautiful things are sad, and that’s all right,” he said, pulling her as close as he could. “That’s part of their beauty.” She nodded and he shut his eyes. Eventually they’d watch more but for now he just wanted to keep her close and hold her tight.

**“The Pandorica Opens”/“The Big Bang”**

So far this series finale had been his favorite, being marginally better than the very first one had been. Eleven’s speech at Stonehenge was quite stirring, and the reveal that Rory was a Nestine duplicate had been quite interesting. He didn’t quite understand how it had all worked out, though, and Molly’s vague explanation of “wibbly wobbly timey wimey” had elicited a mild glare from him, which had gotten a chuckle from her, but overall it had been rather satisfying.

“I’m rather impressed by the writing from this Steve Moffat person, whoever he is,” he said, stretching slightly after having barely moved for thirteen hours.

Molly shook her head. “He’s the showrunner, remember? The one who comes up with the elaborate plots and writes some of the episodes and is generally the man all of Britain loves to hate?”

“I thought that was my brother,” he said.

“Well, they probably hate him too,” she said with a laugh. “So, thoughts on Eleven?”

“Almost as good as Nine,” he said. “Just about on par.”

“Good,” she said with an approving nod. “Next day off: series six. Then the timey wimey fun begins.”

He made a face. “Please stop.”

She laughed. “Never.”

**“The Curse of the Black Spot”**

Pirates.

Pirates that ended up in space.

This had to be the most fun episode, he decided. He didn’t care what episodes had come before or what episodes came after, this was an episode that had _pirates in space_. Nothing could ever _ever_ top this. It was as if someone had asked him as a little boy what could be the most fantastical thing ever and this would have been what the six-year-old him would have said.

“You loved it,” Molly said, laughing at the gleeful look on his face.

“I did,” he said.

“Do you want to watch it again?” she asked.

He was torn. There were still other episodes to watch, and he _was_ curious to see how the plot resolved itself. This was another twisty-turny, “timey wimey” plot.

But… _pirates._

After a moment he looked at her and nodded. “I would.”

She took the remote and went back to the menu screen and went back to the beginning of the episode. “When we have children, I know what episode you’ll make sure they have memorized,” she said, snuggling up next to him.

“There are worse things,” he said putting his arm around her.

“Yes, I suppose there are.”

**“The God Complex”**

This was an episode that had made him think. The power of belief, the strength of one’s belief in something…it was a powerful thing. It could be good, or it could be used to hurt. It could be used to wound.

It could be used to kill.

Molly paused the DVD before it switched over to the next episode and looked at him closely. “Sherlock? Are you all right?”

“If you were in the hotel, what would be in your room?” he asked quietly.

She was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know. You actually being dead, possibly. I worry one day you won’t be able to cheat death.” He tightened his hold on her, and she moved one of her hands away from her and threaded her fingers through his. “I thought you’d be like Rory, only seeing exits.”

“I’m not sure,” he said quietly. “Maybe. I can admit I have fears too. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you. I’d be lost without you.”

She lifted their joined hands up, kissing his knuckles. “Well, perhaps we’ll be lucky and we can face our fears together for a long time.”

“I hope so,” he said.

**“Dinosaurs on a Spaceship”**

“Does Lestrade know he has a doppelgänger?” Sherlock asked, staring at the screen in shock.

“Oh, no one let up for _weeks_ after the episode aired,” Molly said with a chuckle. “The man’s actually related to Greg. They’re cousins or something? Distantly related, but the resemblance is remarkable. But yeah. He’d grimace every time someone said ‘Riddell’ or ‘Nefertiti’ around him. It got to the point I think he was about to start spewing profanities at people. And then there were the strangers asking for autographs....”

“Why don’t I remember this?” Sherlock asked with a frown.

“It aired when you were pretending to be dead,” she said, sobering up a bit. “In a way it was a good thing because it gave us something to get our minds off of what happened to you. I mean, I felt bad for Greg and his discomfort, but it was nice to not think about you and your fall. I think it was a turning point, in a way.”

He was quiet a moment. “If I called him Riddell…” he said thoughtfully.

“He’d probably groan and maybe turn away,” she said, laughing. “You can try at your own risk.”

“I just might.”

**“The Bells of Saint John”**

Clara was…something.

She wasn’t an enigma or a compelling mystery, at least not one he particularly cared about solving. He could see why the Doctor did, but he was not particularly interested in her one way or the other. Let it come at whatever pace it unfolded. He simply missed the Ponds. He’d gotten attached to them in a way he really hadn’t with the other companions. Clara was, at this stage, an interloper, but she was intriguing enough that he didn’t outright hate her.

He kept seeing Molly give him curious glances throughout the episode and when Clara pulled her hacking trick at the restaurant he took the remote, hitting the pause button. “Yes?” he asked.

“You don’t seem convinced about her.”

“It’s her third episode,” he said. “And her first in this incarnation. And to be frank, I want Amy and Rory back.”

“But you don’t hate her?” she asked, rather tentatively.

“No, Molly, I don’t. I’m just not overly fond.” He looked at her. “I’ll give her a chance, though, I promise. All right?”

Molly nodded. “All right.” She leaned over and took the remote back. “Just…make it a fair chance, all right?”

“Fine, fine,” he said.

**“The Crimson Horror”**

For being minor characters, he decided he had a vast appreciation for Madam Vastra and Jenny. Strax as well, he supposed, but mostly the two women. They were intelligent, methodical and most of all quite interesting, and he felt it was a damn shame they were only supporting characters. He had been quite pleased to see them pop up frequently after their introduction earlier in Eleven’s run.

“I thought you would like them,” Molly said, grinning.

“My tastes are that obvious?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, I just like to think if Madame Vastra actually existed you two would get along quite well, that’s all,” she said. “I just think the conversation you’d have would be quite interesting.”

“It’s almost a shame she’s fictional,” he said.

“Well, she’s in a few more episodes,” Molly said. “There’s the series finale for this series, and then she’s in Twelve’s first episode, so you’ll definitely see more of her.” She nudged at him slightly. “I’m almost worried I should be jealous.”

He scoffed. “While I may admire her intellectually, there is only one woman I admire carnally, and I’ve agreed to marry her.”

She beamed and leaned in towards him. “Lucky me.”

**“The Day of the Doctor”**

He didn’t pretend to know the entire history of Doctor Who; in between watching the various series with Molly he’d read up a little, but he’d only scratched the surface of the fifty years up to that point. So when it came time to watch the anniversary special he’d listened patiently as Molly filled him in on tidbits of significance in the history of the series, and he had to admit, he was intrigued. There was much to absorb, of course, but the more she told him about the classic series the more he had to admit he was curious.

It was strange to see Rose again, even though she wasn’t _exactly_ Rose, and he was shocked that the Tenth Doctor looked damn near the same. He actually approved of the War Doctor, which he gathered most people did not. All in all he thought it was rather well done.

And then, when Molly had gone to bed for the evening and was sound asleep, he got out of bed and watched it again, without her commentary, enjoying the dialogue and the interactions on his own, finally admitting the truth to himself:

He had become a Whovian.

God help him.


End file.
